Forested landscapes in the Anthropocene
The flow of Chinese forests both highly local and global
M.K. Lau (Ph.D.)
Motivation
- Ecological studies are now embeded in the anthropocene
- Interconnected world
- Global environmental change
- Complex systems at global scales
Overview
Background: Anthropocene
- Humans = dominant global impact -> Anthropocene
- Indirect effecs and The far reach of the city
- Complex systems = many players and indirect effects matter
A little money moves a lot of forest.
- Tian et al. 2019 showed that China consumes an equivalent amount of domestic cropland as forest land, on the order of 10\(^6\) km\(^2\).
- Looking at the domestic landuse productivity data for China, forests have the lowest monetary productivity.
- Thus, per unit monetary output a relatively larger amount of forest land is used.
A little money moves a lot of forest.
- Tian et al. 2019 showed that China consumes an equivalent amount of domestic cropland as forest land, on the order of 10\(^6\) km\(^2\).
- Looking at the domestic landuse productivity data for China, forests have the lowest monetary productivity.
- Thus, per unit monetary output a relatively larger amount of forest land is used.
Global Landuse Trade and China
Global Landuse Trade and China
Background: Economy == Ecology
- Economic trade data is a window into human impacts
Background: Input-Output Models
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Background: Input-Output Models
- How do we quantify and manage systems?
- Input-Output Analysis provides a modeling framework
- Direct consumption
- Trade occurs among sectors == Indirect consumption
- IO and MRIO models
- A new equation for a new era in science E = F(I-A)^-1
Background: Input-Output Models
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Background: Environmental Extension
- Allows for indirect/consumption based accounting
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Background: Environmental Extension
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Background: Networks are Everywhere
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Background: Networks are Everywhere
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Background: Ecological Network Analysis
- Ecological network theory provides predictions and metrics (Lau 2017)
- Systems theory provides strategies for inteventions
- ENA <- Odums, MacArthur, Ulanowicz, Patten,
- SNA -> ecological networks (Watts and Strogatz, etc.)
- Structure linked to function (Donella Meadows)
Which metric?
Why information metrics?
Research: Why Chinese Forests?
- Work = Forest Land Embodied in Trade
A Brief History of Forest Time in China
- China is big and diverse
- Long history of human habitation in China
- Historically, two primary regions of forestry
- Forest conservation impacts harvest
- Flows within China and among countries globally important
Research: Why Chinese Forests?
